There’s no shortage of work for Malcolm Farnsworth and the team at Electrical Testing Services (ETS).
The national electrical compliance and safety business covers it all — from routine test and tag jobs to large-scale retrofits, including medical installations, power factor correction testing and switchboard upgrades.
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With such a diverse workload, ETS needs a vehicle that offers flexibility, reliability, and space to match the demands of the job. For Malcolm and his team, that vehicle is the Renault Trafic.
ETS National Field Services Manager Malcolm has been with the business for 17 years, helping to drive its growth alongside founder Darren Brown, who started the company more than 24 years ago.
What began as a small test and tag service has evolved into a one-stop shop for electrical safety and compliance across Australia and New Zealand, employing more than 150 people.
“We’re a compliance company now — that’s the core of our business,” Malcolm said.
“The more services we can offer our clients, the less disruption for them, and the greater the savings. One team can do it all.”
Today, ETS services extend even further, now including the testing and maintenance of biomedical equipment in patient care areas.
With triple ISO certification and NATA accreditation, ETS backs its highly qualified workforce with the most rigorous testing standards in the industry.
On the go
Trafic has been a mainstay for many tradie fleets, with ETS having about 30 vans for its team across Australia.
The work ETS does can take them anywhere and do almost anything, so they rely on a vehicle that can handle a big day’s work.
With the longest load length in its category, topping out at 4.15m, and a maximum cargo area of 6.7m3, tradies have the space they need to carry tools, materials, and equipment for a day’s work.
ETS’ Trafics are all long wheelbase variants and Malcolm lauded each van’s ability to fit massive loads in it.
“We can be doing so much travelling in these vehicles, so they all have dual power supplies put in them, inverters and charging stations.
“Some jobs — you can be travelling for weeks on end, so each van has room for a portable fridge.
“The savvy tradies will actually pack enough supplies for two weeks, as well as all the equipment they need to service all the sites.
“For example, someone may need to go out an replace 18-20 fire extinguishers, then bring back the old ones.”
That capacity comes in handy when you add in Trafic’s compact exterior. A height of 1.97m helps tradies like those at ETS get to the job smoothly and conveniently.
“That [capacity] enables you to put longer items inside the van from the back all the way to the front,” he said.
“Height is such an issue these days; car parks are being made smaller and smaller.
“That’s what I like about Renault Trafic — it’s lower than other vans. We can still take a 3m ladder inside the van, which enables someone to get to high ceilings in shopping centres without having to park out on the road or get a loading permit.”
Wherever, whenever
Not only does Trafic carry its fair share, it can also do so for massive distances.
The EDC automatic gearbox delivers an extremely economical 6.5L/100km on the combined cycle.
Paired with an 80L fuel tank and the 2.0L turbocharged engine, Renault Trafic can run long stints without needing a refuel.
Malcolm loved the mileage he gets with Trafic. When he’s needed to drive an van interstate to another site, he’s been able to do so in one tank.
“I’m so impressed with Trafic,” he said.
“I was taking a Trafic from NSW to our Queensland office and the tank was giving me more kilometres before needing a refill the further I went.”
This means tradies spend less time at servos and more time getting work done.
“The team does a lot of kilometres in these vans because we service all of Australia,” Malcolm added.
Workable interior
When it comes to comfort over those long distances, Malcolm said Trafic had his team sorted.
Ergonomic seating and professional finishes make the interior a tradie’s dream whether they’re on the road or parked on-site.
“They’re an extremely comfortable van,” Malcolm said.
“The guys don’t get fatigued from driving them because of how ergonomic the seating layout is.”
The modular seating setup allows for configuration into a portable office, perfect for those moments when you’re not on the tools.
“The centre seat folds down, and there’s a built-in station in the seat with a nice flat area,” Malcolm said.
“Someone can pull out their laptop, complete a thermal report within their van or send photos of a job for example.
“It’s all there for them straight away at your fingertips and not inconvenient.”
Where it counts
Safety isn’t something a tradie might notice from the get-go, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
Thankfully, Trafic has the latest safety tech, including cruise control, optional traffic sign recognition and blindspot monitoring, lane departure warning and active emergency braking.
With 10 driving assistance systems all up, including driver attention and drowsiness alert, Renault Trafic keeps tradies secure on the road.
“There’s so many safety features in these vehicles,” Malcolm said.
The dashboard is also well-equipped, featuring an eight-inch touchscreen with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, DAB+, Bluetooth, and USB connectivity.
“All those smart features means guys aren’t using their phones, they can open maps and chart out location-to-location and those kinds of things,” Malcolm said.
All sorted
It would be an understatement to say Malcolm was impressed with how Trafics have performed for ETS.
He said his tradies had nothing but good things to say about their experiences with driving Trafics across the country doing a massive variety of jobs, all the while doing so with top-of-the-line fuel economy, comfort, storage and safety.
“I did a lot of research when it came to choosing the Trafic as our vans,” Malcolm said.
“There’s so many features that impressed me … there’s so much to like.”